Understand
The possibility that neutrinos may be their own antiparticles, unique among the known fundamental particles, arises from the symmetric theory of fermions proposed by Ettore Majorana in 1937.
- Given the profound consequences of such Majorana neutrinos, among which is a potential explanation for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe via leptogenesis, the Majorana nature of neutrinos commands intense experimental scrutiny globally; one of the primary experimental probes is neutrinoless double beta ($0 \nu \beta \beta$) decay.
- Here we show results from the search for $0 \nu \beta \beta$ decay of $^{130}$Te, using the latest advanced cryogenic calorimeters with the CUORE experiment.
- CUORE, operating just 10 millikelvin above absolute zero, has pushed the state of the art on three frontiers: the sheer mass held at such ultra-low temperatures, operational longevity, and the low levels of ionising radiation emanating from the cryogenic infrastructure.